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Tourist Attractions
Major attractions include...
The Picos de Europa National park, and other parts
of the Asturian mountain range: The most famous peak
in the park is the Picu Urriellu, also known as Naranjo
de Bulnes (2519 m), a molar-shaped mountain which glows
orange in the evening sun, hence its name. Weather permitting,
it can be viewed clearly from Camarmeña village,
near Las Arenas de Cabrales.
The shrine to the Virgin Mary of Covadonga and the
mountain lakes (los lagos), near Cangas de Onís:
Legend has it that in the 8th century, the Virgin blessed
Asturian Christian forces with a well-timed signal to
attack Spain's Moorish conquerors, thereby taking the
invaders by surprise. The Reconquista and eventual unification
of all Spain is therefore said to have started in this
very location.
The Asturian coast: especially the beaches in and around
the summer resort of Llanes, and the Playa del Silencio
near Cudillero fishing village.
Other places of interest are...
Ceceda village: east of Oviedo along the N634
road. Of particular interest in this exemplary settlement
are the traditional horreo grain silos, raised on stilts
so as to keep field mice from getting at the grain.
The Dobra River: south of Cangas de Onís, famous
for its unusual colour and natural beauty.
La Mesa (The Table): an unusually-shaped peak above
the village of Tuiza de Arriba, high in the Ubiñas
mountain range south of Oviedo.
The coastal way (senda costera) between Pendueles and
Llanes: This partly-paved nature route takes in some
of Asturias' most spectacular coastal scenery, such
as the noisy bufones (large water spouts created naturally
by the erosion of the sea) and the Playa de Ballota.
The unusual rock formation on the beach at Buelna village:
east of Llanes. Best viewed at low tide
Economy
For many centuries the backbone of the Asturian
economy was coal mining, steel production and fishing.
Production of milk and its derivatives has also been
traditionally strong, with products from the Central
Lechera Asturiana being exported all over Spain. The
main regional industry, though, is steel: in the times
of Francisco Franco´s dictatorship, it was one
of the most powerful in the world. The then state-owned
ENSIDESA company is now part of the privatised ARCELOR
Group. The industry created many jobs which resulted
in significant migration from other provinces in Spain,
mainly Extremadura, Andalucía and Castilla y
León.
The steel industry is now in decline, as is mining,
as a result of competition from Eastern Europe, high
costs of production, and declines in global steel demand.
Regional economic growth is below the broader Spanish
rate, though in recent years growth in service industries
has helped reduce Asturias's high rate of unemployment.
Large out-of-town retail parks have opened near the
region's largest cities (Gijón and Oviedo), whilst
the ever-present Spanish construction industry appears
to continue to thrive.
Asturias has benefited extensively since 1986 from
European Union investment in roads and other essential
infrastructure, though there has also been some controversy
regarding how these funds are spent, for example, on
miners' pensions. These subsidies are lately in doubt,
given the expansion of the Union in 2004 to include
the poorer states of the former Communist bloc.
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